1: So what exactly is a habit?
Yes, it is an outfit a nun wears, Tynan writes in Superhuman by Habit: A Guide to Becoming the Best Possible Version of Yourself, One Tiny Habit at a Time.
But, more importantly, “it’s an action that you take on a repeated basis with little or no required effort or thought,” he writes.
The key part of the definition? The second half of the sentence: Little or no effort or thought required.
That clarity is what delivers the true power of habits—what Tynan calls the “loophole that allows you to upgrade your health, quality of life, productivity, and enjoyment of the world.”
That is why habits have the power to make us superhuman.
“This is the engine that drives the people we most admire,” he observes, “those people who consistently seem to excel at their work, stay healthy, stay connected to those around them, and do all of this while remaining calm and happy.”
On the surface, it may appear that these uber-successful people are somehow different or maybe even better than you.
Not likely.
“But if they are, it’s only because of one key thing, they are better at building and sustaining new habits,” Tynan writes.
2: Imagine you want to get something done. You have a choice.
You can either use your willpower to get it done.
Or, you can use your willpower to build a habit.
If you don’t build habits, you have to rely on available willpower every time you want to accomplish something. “This works fine sometimes,” Tynan writes, “but as soon as you’re tired or hungry or overworked, everything crumbles.”
On the other hand, if you use your willpower to build a habit, that task eventually gets done consistently and almost effortlessly.
“The glorious benefit of a habit,” he says, “is that it converts something that requires a lot of willpower and focus into something that becomes automatic and often outside of our conscious thought.”
Sure, you can work at increasing your capacity for willpower. But, even then, you will always have a limited amount.
So when your willpower runs out, so does your ability to get things done.
You “can consciously push yourself to do only a certain number of things every day,” Tynan notes, “which means that if you don’t have good habits, there is a ceiling to what you can accomplish, personally and professionally.”
The bad news? “This limit is not particularly high,” he observes, “and is probably not high enough to achieve your goals and live the life you want.”
Alternatively, you can channel your available willpower into building habits. “Which pays off later,” Tynan notes, “because you are able to sustain those habits without using any additional willpower.”
Over time, focusing on building habits shifts tasks from the “hard” to the “easy” category.
“Thus freeing up willpower to tackle more of the hard things,” he points out.
That’s big.
“If the idea of being hyper-productive, being physically active and eating right, building good relationships with those around you, learning things that interest you, all while keeping yourself positive and fulfilled seems difficult,” Tynan writes, “it’s only because you haven’t switched enough of those deliberate actions and attitudes to automatic habits.”
Yes, creating good habits takes time. It requires focus and discipline. It requires willpower.
And, “establishing most habits takes the relatively short time of one to twelve months,” Tynan writes.
3: Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about. Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations.
At the end of each week, we’re exploring the ideas from Tynan’s book Superhuman by Habit. We will begin with several weeks on the mechanics of building habits. What I like most about this book, however, are his suggestions for specific habits, which we will eventually cover.
Last thought: “Saying that you’re building habits is a bit of a misnomer,” Tynan explains.
You are already a creature of habit.
“The vast majority of our daily actions,” he notes, “are actually dictated by our subconscious through habits.”
Tynan asks: “Did you brush your teeth this morning?
“If so, it was because you’ve built that habit, not because you took fifteen minutes this morning to carefully weigh the pros and cons of dental hygiene.
“If you procrastinated today, it’s because you’ve built the habit of procrastinating.
“Even your outlook on life is the product of your habits,” he shares. “You either have the habit of seeing the positive side of things or the negative side of things, and this single pattern will dominate your mood for the rest of your life.
“The number of friends you have, and even how much strangers like you upon meeting you, are all the products of habits.”
If you don’t like or admire something about yourself, learn to examine your habits first.
Maybe most of the time you aren’t happy. Yes, “it could be that your life is just terrible,” Tynan notes, “but it’s (exponentially) more likely that your set of habits contributes to making you unhappy.”
He writes: “Replacing just a few key negative habits with a few positive habits can easily be the difference between being mostly unhappy and being happy almost all of the time.”
Building habits is about replacing some of your existing habits with more productive ones that align with how you want to live your life.
“You are already an incredible biological machine capable of executing an unlimited number of habits,” Tynan states. “You just need the ones that are right for you.”
More next week!
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Reflection: Which important areas of my life still depend on motivation and willpower rather than habits? If my willpower disappeared tomorrow, what positive behaviors would remain?
Action: Choose one behavior I want to make more consistent and begin treating it as a habit-building project rather than a test of discipline. Focus on repetition, not perfection.